JP2003195585A - Image forming method and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deterioration of performance in the case where an image is not printed on tab paper or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming method and the image forming apparatus are equipped with a paper decision step (S1001) to decide the kind of recording paper, an image forming decision step (S1002) to decide whether the image is to be formed on every page by an image forming part, and control steps (S1003 to S1007 and S1008 to S1012) to change control concerning paper feeding in the image forming part on the basis of the decision results obtained in the paper decision step (S1001) and the image forming decision step (S1002). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming method and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly, to a copying machine or printer having an insert function for inserting thick paper such as tab paper into a bundle of recording papers and outputting the same. The present invention relates to an image forming method and an apparatus thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Printing devices such as copiers and printers not only print the contents of originals as they are, but also perform bookbinding work such as sorting of printed recording paper, single-sided printing, double-sided printing, or continuous page copying. It has a similar function.
The user can obtain various types of printed matter from one original by using such a function.

Further, as a function of the printing apparatus, there is known that a tab sheet on which a heading can be entered can be inserted between a plurality of recording sheets as a partition of a section of the recording sheet. With such a tab sheet insert function, it is possible to obtain a batch of printed matter in which the tabbed partition on which the heading is printed is inserted as the tab sheet.

[0004]

As the tab sheet, a cardboard sheet is often used for use as a partition. When printing on thick paper, it is known that the fixability is poor because of the large amount of heat taken away. Therefore, when printing on thick paper, control is performed to reduce the paper feed speed and perform the printing to ensure the fixability.

However, in the conventional printing apparatuses such as a copying machine and a printer, the sheet feeding speed is always lowered when the tab sheet inserting function is processed. Therefore, since the paper feeding speed is lowered regardless of whether or not the image is printed on the tab sheet, there is a problem that the performance is degraded when the tab sheet is not printed.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. An object of the present invention is to process a tab sheet under the same condition as a normal sequence when an image is not printed. An object is to provide an image forming method and its apparatus.

[0007]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides an image forming method in an image forming unit for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, according to the invention of claim 1. A sheet determination step of determining the type of the recording sheet, an image formation determination step of determining whether or not an image is formed in the image forming unit for each page, and a determination of the sheet determination step and the image formation determination step And a control step of changing control related to sheet feeding in the image forming unit based on the result.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the control step according to the first aspect changes the conveying speed of the recording sheet.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding section for feeding a recording sheet for forming an image of a document, and a sheet conveying section for conveying the fed recording sheet to the image forming section. In the image forming method in the image forming apparatus, the image forming unit includes a transfer unit that transfers the toner image of the original document to the conveyed recording paper, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording paper. A sheet determination step of determining the type of the recording sheet, an image formation determination step of determining whether or not an image is formed in the image forming unit for each page, the sheet determination step and the image formation determination step. And a control step of changing conditions of the paper feeding unit, the paper transporting unit, or the fixing unit based on the determination result.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the control step according to the third aspect, the conveyance speed of the recording sheet in the sheet feeding section, the sheet conveying section or the fixing section is changed. And

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in an image forming method in an image forming unit for forming an image of a document on a recording sheet, a sheet determining step of determining the type of the recording sheet, and the recording in the sheet determining step. When it is determined that the paper is normal paper, a normal sequence is executed, and when it is determined that the recording paper is special paper in the paper determination step, a special sequence different from the normal sequence is executed and the special When the image is not formed on the paper, a control step for executing the normal sequence is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the special sequence according to the fifth aspect, the conveyance speed of the recording sheet for feeding in the image forming unit is changed from the normal sequence. To do.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, a sheet determining means for determining the type of the recording sheet and the image forming for each page. Control for changing the paper feed control in the image forming means on the basis of the image formation judging means for judging whether or not an image is formed by the means, and the judgment results of the paper judging means and the image forming judging means. And means.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the control means according to claim 7 changes the conveying speed of the recording sheet.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper feed means for feeding the recording paper on which the image of the original is formed, and a paper conveying means for conveying the fed recording paper to the image forming means. In the image forming apparatus, the image forming unit includes a transfer unit that transfers the toner image of the original document onto the conveyed recording sheet, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording sheet. Based on the determination result of the sheet determination unit, the image formation determination unit that determines whether the image forming unit forms an image for each page, and the determination result of the sheet determination unit and the image formation determination unit. And a control means for changing the conditions of the paper feeding means, the paper conveying means or the fixing means.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the control means according to the ninth aspect changes the conveyance speed of the recording paper in the paper feed means, the paper conveyance means or the fixing means. And

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, a sheet determining means for determining the type of the recording sheet and the sheet determining means for determining When it is determined that the recording paper is normal paper, a normal sequence is executed, and when it is determined that the recording paper is special paper in the paper determination step,
Execute a special sequence different from the normal sequence,
A control step of executing the normal sequence when an image is not formed on the special paper.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the special sequence according to the eleventh aspect, the conveyance speed of the recording sheet for feeding in the image forming means is changed from the normal sequence. To do.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing the control section of the image forming apparatus to execute each step according to any one of the first to sixth aspects is recorded. It is characterized by

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a control unit of the image forming apparatus to execute each step according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a digital copying machine equipped with an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an electrophotographic system. The image forming apparatus 1 is roughly divided into an image forming section in which four stations having the same configuration are arranged side by side, a sheet feeding section, an intermediate transfer section, a conveying section, a fixing section, an operating section, and an image forming section. It is composed of the illustrated control unit.

First, the structure of the image forming section will be described. The photosensitive drums 11a to 11d as image bearing members are axially supported at their centers and are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow by a drive motor (not shown). The roller chargers 12a to 12 are arranged in the direction of rotation so as to face the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d.
d, scanners 13a to 13d, and developing devices 14a to 1
4d and 4d are arranged. Roller chargers 12a-12d
Gives a uniform amount of charge to the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d. An electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d with light beams, such as laser beams, which are modulated by the scanners 13a to 13d according to the recording image signal. The electrostatic latent image is visualized by the developing devices 14a to 14d that respectively store four color developers (toners) of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. The visualized visible image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 30. In this way, image formation with each toner is sequentially performed.

The paper feed section accommodates the recording material P and conveys the recording material P, a sensor for detecting passage of the recording material P, and a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the recording material P. And a guide (not shown) for transporting the recording material P along the transport path. The recording material P is the cassette 2
1a to 21d, the manual feed tray 27, or the deck 28. Pickup rollers 22a-2
Reference numeral 2d is a roller for feeding the recording materials P one by one from the cassettes 21a to 21d. Pickup roller 22a-
At 22d, a plurality of recording materials P may be sent out, but only one is reliably separated by the BC rollers 23a to 23d. The recording material P separated by only one sheet by the BC rollers 23a to 23d is further pulled out by the pull-out roller 24.
a to 24d and the pre-registration roller 26,
It reaches the registration roller 25.

The recording material P stored in the manual feed tray 27 is separated into one sheet by the BC roller 29, and is conveyed to the registration roller 25 by the pre-registration roller 26. A plurality of recording materials P stored in the deck 28 are conveyed by a pickup roller 60 to a paper feed roller 61, and only one paper is reliably separated by the paper feed roller 61.
After being conveyed to the pull-out roller 62, the pre-registration roller 2
It is conveyed to the registration roller 25 by 6.

The intermediate transfer section will be described. The intermediate transfer belt 30 is made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (P
Materials such as ET) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) are used. The intermediate transfer belt 30 sandwiches the drive roller 32 that transmits driving force to the intermediate transfer belt 30, a tension roller 33 that applies an appropriate tension to the intermediate transfer belt 30 by a spring (not shown), and the intermediate transfer belt 30. And is supported by a driven roller 34 that forms a secondary transfer area. The drive roller 32 has a surface of a metal roller coated with rubber such as urethane or chloroprene having a thickness of several mm to prevent slippage with the intermediate transfer belt 30. The drive roller 32 is rotationally driven by a stepping motor (not shown).

At the position where the photosensitive drums 11a to 11d face the intermediate transfer belt 30, the intermediate transfer belt 30 is placed.
On the back side of the primary transfer rollers 35a to 35, to which high voltage for transferring the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 30 is applied.
d is arranged. A secondary transfer roller 36 is arranged so as to face the driven roller 34, and a secondary transfer area is formed by a nip with the intermediate transfer belt 30. Secondary transfer roller 3
6 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 30 with an appropriate pressure. Further, a cleaning device 50 for cleaning the image forming surface of the intermediate transfer belt 30 is arranged downstream of the secondary transfer area on the intermediate transfer belt 30. The cleaning device 50 includes a cleaner blade 51 made of a material such as polyurethane rubber, and a waste toner box 52 that stores waste toner.

The fixing unit 40 of the fixing section has a fixing roller 41a having a heat source such as a halogen heater therein, a roller 41b pressed against the fixing roller 41a, and a roller 4.
1a, 41b, and an inner paper discharge roller 44 that conveys the recording material P discharged. The roller 41b can also be provided with a heat source.

The recording material P conveyed to the registration roller 25 is temporarily stopped by stopping the rotational drive of the roller on the upstream side of the registration roller 25. At the image forming timing of the image forming unit, the rotational driving of the upstream rollers including the registration roller 25 is restarted, and the recording material P
Are sent to the secondary transfer area. After the image is transferred in the secondary transfer area and the image is fixed in the fixing unit 40, the recording material P passes through the internal paper discharge roller 44,
The transport destination is switched by the switching flapper 73. When the switching flapper 73 is on the face-up paper ejection side, the recording material P is ejected to the face-up paper ejection tray 2 by the external paper ejection roller 45. On the other hand, when the switching flapper 73 is on the face-down sheet discharge side, it is conveyed in the direction of the reversing rollers 72a to 72c, and the recording material P is discharged to the face-down sheet discharge tray 3. When a tab job described below is performed, the recording material P is conveyed to the reversing roller 72c, the flapper 81 is switched to the tray 82 direction, and the motor of the reversing roller 72c is changed from stop to reversal. It is reversed and discharged to the tray 82.

A plurality of sensors for detecting the passage of the recording material P are arranged in the conveying path of the recording material P, and the sheet feeding retry sensors 64a to 64d, the deck sheet feeding sensor 65,
It has a deck pull-out sensor 66, a registration sensor 67, an internal paper discharge sensor 68, a face-down paper discharge sensor 69, a double-sided preregistration sensor 70, a double-sided paper re-feeding sensor 71 and the like. In addition, cassettes 21a to 21 that store the recording material P
Cassette paper presence / absence sensors 63a to 63d for detecting the presence / absence of the recording material P are arranged in d, and the manual feed tray 27 presence / absence sensor 74 for detecting the presence / absence of the recording material P on the manual feed tray 27 is provided in the manual feed tray 27. Is placed on deck 2
8, a deck paper presence / absence sensor 75 for detecting the presence / absence of the recording material P in the deck 28 is arranged.

The control section (not shown) includes a control board for controlling the operation of the mechanism of each section described above, a motor drive board, and the like. The operation unit 4 is arranged on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1, and selects a paper feed unit (paper feed cassettes 21a to 21d, a manual feed tray 27, a deck 28) in which the recording material P is stored, and a paper discharge tray (face). It is possible to select the up tray 2 and the face down tray 3) and specify a tab sheet bundle.

A case where the recording material P is conveyed from the cassette 21a with such a configuration will be described. After a lapse of a predetermined time after the image forming operation start signal is issued, the transfer material P is sent out one by one from the cassette 21a by the pickup roller 22a. The transfer material P is pulled out by the paper feed roller 23a and conveyed to the registration roller 25 via the roller 24a and the pre-registration roller 26. At this time, the registration roller 25 is stopped, and the leading end of the paper hits the nip portion. After that, the registration rollers 26 start rotating at the timing when the image forming unit starts forming an image. The timing to start the rotation is the transfer material P
And the toner image primarily transferred from the image forming unit to the intermediate transfer belt 30 are set to coincide with each other in the secondary transfer area.

On the other hand, in the image forming portion, when the image forming operation start signal is issued, the toner image formed on the most upstream photosensitive drum 11d in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 30 by the above-mentioned process, The primary transfer is performed on the intermediate transfer belt 30 in the primary transfer area by the transfer roller 35d to which a high voltage is applied. The primary-transferred toner image is conveyed to the next primary transfer area. Here, image formation is performed with a delay of the time during which the toner image is conveyed between the four image forming units, and the next toner image is transferred with the leading ends of the images aligned. The same process is repeated, and the toner images of four colors are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31.

Next, when the recording material P enters the secondary transfer area and comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 31, a high voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 36 in synchronization with the passage timing of the recording material P. The intermediate transfer belt 3 is formed by the above-mentioned process.
The four color toner images formed on the recording material P are transferred to the surface of the recording material P. The recording material P is guided to the fixing roller nip portion, and the toner image is fixed on the surface by the heat of the roller pair 41a and 41b and the pressure of the nip. After that, depending on the switching direction of the switching flappers 73 and 81, the sheet is discharged to the face-up discharge tray 2, the face-down discharge tray 3, or the reverse discharge tray 82.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit for controlling the digital copying machine. Control unit 100
Is a CP that performs the basic control of the digital copying machine shown in FIG.
U171 and ROM17 in which the control program is written
4, a work RAM 175 for performing processing, and an input / output port (I / O) 173, which are connected by an address bus and a data bus, respectively. The input / output port 173 controls the digital copying machine shown in FIG.
Various load outputs such as a motor and a clutch are connected to a sensor input that detects the position of the paper.

The CPU 171 sequentially controls the input / output through the input / output port 173 according to the contents of the ROM 174 and executes the image forming operation. The CPU 171 has
The operation unit 172 is connected and controls the display unit and the key input unit of the operation unit 172. The operator operates the image forming operation mode, the scanner reading mode, the
The CPU 17 switches the display such as the print output mode.
Instruct 1. The CPU 171 displays the state of the digital copying machine shown in FIG. 1 and the operation mode setting by key input. Further, the CPU 171 includes an image processing unit 170 that processes a signal converted into an electric signal by the image sensor.
The image memory unit 3 for storing processed images is connected to the image memory unit 3. The image memory unit 3 is connected to the reader unit 1, the printer unit 2, and the external I / F processing unit 4.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the image memory section of the control unit. The image memory unit 3 writes the image from the external I / F processing unit 4 or the image processing unit 170 into the page memory 301 configured by a memory such as a DRAM via the memory controller 302. The image memory unit 3 also reads an image from the page memory 301 to the external I / F processing unit 4 or the printer unit 2 via the memory controller 302. Further, the JPEG compression 303 is applied to the hard disk 304 which is a large-capacity storage device.
The input / output of the image is accessed via.

The memory controller 302 generates a DRAM refresh signal for the page memory 301,
Arbitration of access from the image I / F processing unit 4, the image processing unit 170, and the hard disk 304 to the page memory 301 is performed. The memory controller 302 controls a write address to the page memory 301, a read address from the page memory 301, a read direction, and the like according to an instruction from the CPU 171. In this way, the CPU1
Reference numeral 71 controls a function of arranging a plurality of original images in the page memory 301 for layout and outputting to the printer unit 2, a function of cutting out and outputting only a part of the image, an image rotating function, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the external I / F processing section of the control unit. The external I / F processing unit 4 loads the image data of the reader unit 1 into the external I / F processing unit 4 via the image memory unit 3, and via the image memory unit 3,
Image data from the external I / F processing unit 4 is transferred to the printer unit 2
Output to and form an image. The external I / F processing unit 4 includes a facsimile unit 401, a hard disk 402 that stores communication image data of the facsimile unit, and a computer interface 403 that connects to the external computer 11.
, Formatter unit 404 and image memory unit 405
And are respectively connected to the core portion 406.

The facsimile unit 401 is connected to a public line via a modem (not shown), and receives facsimile communication data from the public line and transmits the facsimile communication data to the public line. As a facsimile function, the facsimile unit 401 saves a fax image on the hard disk 402 and performs processing such as performing fax transmission at a designated time or transmitting image data by inquiring a designated password from the other party. As a result, once from the reader unit 1 via the image memory unit 3,
After the image is transferred to the facsimile unit 401 and the facsimile hard disk 402, the facsimile transmission can be performed without using the reader unit 1 and the image memory unit 3 for the facsimile function.

The computer interface 403 is an interface section for performing data communication with an external computer, and includes a local area network (LAN), a serial I / F, an SCSII / F, a Centro I / F for data input of a printer, and the like. have. Via the computer interface 403, an external computer is notified of the states of the printer unit 4 and the reader unit 1, or an image read by the reader unit 1 is instructed by the external computer.
Transfer to an external computer. Also, print image data is received from an external computer.

Since the print data notified from the external computer via the computer interface 403 is described by a dedicated printer code, the formatter unit 404 sends the dedicated printer code to the printer unit via the image memory unit 3. 2. Convert to raster image data for image formation. Formatter unit 404
Develops raster image data in the image memory unit 405. The image memory unit 405 is used as a memory in which the formatter unit 404 expands raster image data.

In the image scanner function, the reader unit 1
Image is sent to an external computer via the computer interface 403. At this time, the image data sent from the image memory unit 3 is once expanded in the image memory unit 405, converted into the format of the data to be sent to the external computer, and the data is sent from the computer interface 403. The core unit 406 is the facsimile unit 401.
It controls and manages data transfer among the computer interface 403, the formatter unit 404, the image memory unit 405, and the image memory unit 3. This allows
Even if the external I / F processing unit 4 has a plurality of image output units or only one image transfer path to the image memory unit 3, the core unit 4
Under the management of 06, exclusive control and priority control are performed and image output is performed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial screen for making basic settings for the copy function and a sub-window for making detailed settings. FIG. 5A shows an initial screen for making basic settings for the copy function. When you press the application mode icon 501,
A sub-window for setting various modes opens. When the paper selection icon 502 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 5B, a sub-window for selecting the paper feed tray opens, and the paper feed tray can be displayed and selected. Trial copy icon 50
When there are a plurality of copies, 3 is used for trial copying of only the first copy and outputting a sample.

The key group 504 for determining the image mode is
When you select an image mode such as “Auto Density Correction”, “Text mode”, “Text mode”, “Photo mode”, etc., and when “Text mode”, “Text mode”, or “Photo mode” is selected The density can be changed with the "," and "," keys.

The key group 505 for changing the magnification of the original is
Includes 100% “actual size”, “reduction”, “enlargement”, “zoom” in 1% increments, and “slightly smaller” keys used when copying the entire document. In either case, the magnification of the original is changed, and after the magnification is set, the set magnification is displayed.

The sort key 506 sets finishing after the paper is output. For example, a sort mode when changing one copy of a plurality of originals to a multiple copy output, a group sort in which one page of each original is output by the set number of copies, and one copy of paper output in the sort mode A staple mode for stapling all the sheets together is included.

A double-sided key 507 sets a double-sided mode of reading or outputting a document or paper on one side.
Single-sided mode that scans the original on one side and outputs on both sides of the paper, double-sided mode that reads the original on both sides and outputs on both sides on the paper, double-sided mode that reads the original on both sides and outputs on the single side on the paper, A page continuous shooting duplex mode, in which one side is divided into two and read and output on both sides of the paper, is included.
FIG. 5A shows a display example in which the double-sided mode is set, and the double-sided icon is highlighted in black and white.

FIG. 5B shows a sub-window displayed when the paper selection key 502 shown in FIG. 5A is pressed. Cassettes 21a to 21d of the image forming apparatus 1,
Of the paper feed stages of the deck 28 and the manual feed tray 27, the paper feed stage to be selected is set. At this time, the icon 511 indicates the manual feed tray 27, and the icon 512 indicates the cassette 2
1a, and A4 paper is currently inserted. The icon 513 indicates the cassette 21b, and A4 paper is currently inserted. The icon 514 indicates the cassette 21c, and displays the tab sheet feeding stage set as the tab sheet feeding stage. This indicates that an A4 size tab sheet is currently inserted, which allows the user to recognize where the tab sheet is set or where it is set.

An icon 515 indicates the cassette 21d, which is set to A3 paper, but indicates that there is no paper. The icon 516 indicates that A4 paper is inserted in the deck 28. The icon 517 is
This is an automatic paper selection key, and in the case of automatic paper selection, the optimum paper is automatically detected from the copy size set with the original size, and if not found, the second candidate paper size is selected.

FIG. 5C shows a sub-window displayed when the application mode key 501 is pressed. Icons for functions that set various copy modes are displayed. The page continuous shooting key 521 is a key for executing a mode in which the document is regarded as a two-page spread and divided into two and read as two documents. The cover / combination key 522 selects a paper feed tray having a cover, a back cover, or a partition for a partition,
This is a key for executing a mode for outputting one copy as output paper. The bookbinding mode key 523 is a key for executing a mode in which when a document is copied, it is folded in the center of the output sheet and is output like a spread book. The negative / positive inversion key 524 is a key for executing a mode of copying a white part of a document image to black and copying a black part to white.

The mode memory key 525 is the sort key 5
To collectively store various mode settings such as the sort mode set in 06, the scaling mode set in the key group 505 for changing the magnification of the document, and the image mode set in the key group 504 for determining the image mode. Is the key.
The OHP middle insertion key 526 is an OHP for the 27
When the paper is set, the O
The HP is fed and printed, and the same image is printed on ordinary paper from another paper feed stage. Further, it is a key for setting a mode in which an OHP middle-inserted paper, which is only output without printing, is inserted between OHPs. The document mixed key 527 is a key for executing a mode set when a plurality of documents are placed on the automatic document feeder and A4 and A3 are mixed.

The image synthesizing key 528 is a key for registering a background image or for superimposing a previously registered background image on a document and outputting it. The tab sheet insert key 529 corresponds to the tab portion by using the tab sheet as a partition sheet like a slip sheet when there is a tab sheet feeding stage like the icon 514 shown in FIG. 5B. This is a key for executing a tab sheet insert mode in which an image is moved to print on a tab of a copy original. The tab sheet creation key 530, like the icon 514 shown in FIG. 5B, feeds the tab sheet when there is a tab sheet feeding stage, and an image corresponding to the tab portion printed on the document. Is a key for executing a mode of moving to the tab position and printing on the tab portion of the tab sheet.

The call key 531 is a key for executing a mode for recalling the settings at the previous copying. Move key 5
Reference numeral 32 is a key for executing a mode for setting how to move a document image output sheet.
The binding margin key 533 is a key for executing a mode in which an image is moved to create a binding margin on a sheet on which a document image is output. The frame erase key 534 is a key for executing a mode of erasing the outer frame of the original image or erasing the image of the outer frame of the paper at the time of printing. The reduction layout key 535 is a key for executing a set mode when laying out and printing a plurality of originals on one sheet. The enlargement layout key 536 is a key for executing a mode of dividing and printing a plurality of images per sheet created by a reduction layout or the like. The close key 537 is
This is a key for closing the sub window of the application mode and returning to the initial screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a sub-window for making detailed settings for the copy function. FIG. 6A shows a sub-window that opens when the tab sheet insert key 529 or the tab sheet creation key 530 is pressed. Set whether the document is oriented vertically or horizontally. Horizontal writing setting key 601
, And a vertical writing setting key 602. When either of them is pressed, black and white reverse display is performed, and a selection state is shown. When the horizontal writing setting key 601 and the vertical writing setting key 602 are pressed, the opposite keys are displayed in black characters on a non-selected white background. When the OK key 603 is pressed, the document information is set to be horizontally written when the horizontal writing setting key 601 is in the selected state, and the original information is set when the vertical writing setting key 602 is in the selected state. It is set to vertical writing and the screen moves to the screen shown in FIG. The cancel key 604 is
When pressed, the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 6B shows the OK key 60 of FIG. 6A.
This is a screen to shift when 3 is pressed, and the number of tab divisions is input. In general, five tab sheets, three tab sheets, three tab sheets, and seven tab sheets, which constitute one set of five tab sheets, are one set. In the present embodiment, two tab sheets form one set. It is possible to handle 12 tab sheets that make up one set from 12 tab sheets that make up the above. Here, the “tab division number” is the number of tab sheets included in one set. An area 611 indicates the tab division number that is currently set, and the minus key 612 and the plus key 613 can increase or decrease the tab division number. The OK key 614 is a key for setting the input tab division number. When the cancel key 615 is pressed, the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 6C shows that in FIG. 6B, OK.
This is a sub-window for setting the amount to move the tab image after the key 614 is pressed. To print the image printed on the tab part included in the original on the tab part,
Set the amount to move the tab image. Normally, with an A4 size tab sheet, it is sufficient to move the tab image by about 12 mm, but in the present embodiment, the movement amount changes depending on the size of the characters printed on the tab and the position on the document. , The tab image can be moved with a width of 0 to 25 mm. The minus key 621 is a key for reducing the normal moving amount of the tab image, and the plus key 622 is a key for increasing the normal moving amount of the tab image. Display unit 623
Is a part for displaying the movement amount to be set. The cancel key 624 is a key for canceling the setting of the movement amount and returning to the input screen for setting the tab division number shown in FIG. 6B. When the OK key 625 is pressed, the value displayed on the display unit 623 is set as the movement amount,
The screen shifts to the screen shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6D, the number of pages at which the tab sheet is inserted (hereinafter referred to as tab sheet insertion page) is set. When selecting the first tab sheet, the insertion page window 631 representing the tab sheet insertion page is pressed down, and the ten keys of the operation unit 172 are used to input the number of pages into which the tab sheet is to be inserted. . As shown in FIG. 6D, the insertion position of the first tab sheet is set before the second page. Similarly, the insertion position of the second tab sheet is set before the third page, the insertion position of the third tab sheet is set before the fourth page, and the insertion position of the fourth tab sheet is set. Is set before page 5, and the insertion position of the fifth tab sheet is set before page 8. The cancel key 632 is a key for canceling the number of tab sheet insertion pages and returning to the sub window shown in FIG. 6C for setting the image movement amount of the tab image.

The scroll-up key 633 is a key for scrolling up the insertion page window 631 when there are 7 or more pages into which tab sheets are inserted.
The scroll down key 634 is for inserting page window 6 when there are seven or more pages into which tab sheets are to be inserted.
31 is a key for scrolling down. An OK key 635 is a key for reflecting the insertion page of the tab sheet set in the insertion page window in the copy job,
This completes the setting of the tab sheet insert mode. In this way, in the copy job, the tab paper is placed at which position in one paper stack according to the length and width of the document, the tab division number, the tab image movement amount, and the tab paper insertion page set in the sub-window shown in FIG. How much the image movement amount when inserting and printing on the tab part,
On which page the tab sheet should be fed, and the vertical direction of the image are determined.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the original and the output paper. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an original and an output sheet to be copied according to the tab sheet insert function set in the sub-window shown in FIG. FIG. 7A shows a document and FIG. 7B.
Indicates output paper. At this time, the document size and the paper size match, but the tab portion differs between the tab document and the tab paper. Tab originals 701a to 701e are originals that are sandwiched between originals 702 and are used for printing or image formation on tab sheets. The output sheets output corresponding to the tab originals 701a to 701e are tab originals 701a to 701e.
The image printed on, that is, the image of 1 tab, 2 tabs, etc. is moved by the movement amount set in FIG. 6 (c),
Printing is performed on the tab portions of the tab sheets 711a to 711e.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the tab original and the tab output paper. FIG. 7 shows an example of tab originals to be copied and tab output papers copied according to the tab sheet creation mode function set in FIGS. 6B and 6C. Figure 8
FIG. 8A shows a tab document and FIG. 8B shows a tab output sheet. Although the document size and the paper size are the same, the tab portion is different between the tab document and the tab paper. On the tab output paper output corresponding to the tab original, the images printed on the tab original, that is, the images such as 1 tab and 2 tabs are moved by the movement amount set in FIG. 6C, Printed on the tab of the tab output paper.

Next, processing of a job including tabs will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of the original document to be copied and the copied output paper sheet according to the tab sheet creation mode function set in FIGS. 6B and 6C. Figure 6 (d)
In the example, the print output is performed in the case where the no tab printing key 636 is set. FIG. 9A shows a document 901 to be copied, and FIG. 9B shows a copied output sheet. In FIG. 9, unlike in FIG. 7, there is no tab original and printing is not performed on tab paper. In the order set in FIG. 6D, the tab sheets 911a to 911e are sandwiched between the output sheets output corresponding to the original 901 and output.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the tab processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows a process of feeding output sheets one by one. Conventionally, when tab paper is fed, paper is fed at a speed slower than the speed at which normal output paper is fed. In the present embodiment, the tab sheet is fed only at the time of "printing" by reducing the sheet feeding speed. In this way, we decided to improve the performance when not printing on tab paper.

In step S1001, it is determined whether the paper to be fed is a tab sheet. If it is determined that the sheet is a tab sheet, the process proceeds to step S1002, and if it is determined that the sheet is not the tab sheet, the process proceeds to step S1008. In step S1002, it is determined whether to print on tab paper. When it is determined that the tab sheet is not printed, the process proceeds to step S1008, and when it is determined that the tab sheet is printed, the process proceeds to step S1003.

In step S1003, it is determined whether or not the previous paper feeding slow flag indicating that the immediately previous paper feeding was slow paper feeding is set. If it is set, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if it is not set, the process proceeds to step S1004. In step S1004, the process waits until the immediately preceding sheet is output, and the process proceeds to step S1005. In step S1005, the feeding speed is 65 mm /
Set to sec. In this case, not only the paper feeding but also the subsequent processing proceeds at 65 mm / sec. Step S100
When step 5 is completed, the flow advances to step S1006 to start sheet feeding. When step S1006 ends, step S1006
Proceeding to 1007, the preceding sheet feeding slow flag is set for the next sheet feeding process, and the process is ended.

Next, the processing from step S1008 will be described. In step S1008, it is determined whether or not the pre-feeding slow flag is set. If it has been set, the process advances to step S1009, waits for the output of the immediately previous sheet, and then advances to step S1010. If the pre-feeding slow flag is not set, step S1
Proceed to 010. In step S1010, the paper feed speed is set to 1
Set to 30 mm / sec. When step S1010 ends, the process proceeds to step S1011 to start feeding. When step S1011 ends, the preceding sheet feeding slow flag is cleared and the process ends for the next sheet feeding process.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the tab sheet insert function, when printing on the tab sheet, the sheet feeding speed is set to 65 mm / sec in consideration of the fixing property and the like. On the other hand, when the tab sheet is not printed, the performance is improved by performing the feeding at the same sheet feeding speed as the normal output sheet.

According to the present invention, a storage medium storing a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the image forming apparatus, and C of the control unit thereof is supplied.
Needless to say, this is also achieved by the PU reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, C
A D-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape non-volatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even if it is a tab sheet or the like that requires a sequence different from normal output paper, if the image is not printed, it is possible to prevent performance degradation by processing under the same conditions as the normal sequence. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a digital copying machine including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit that controls a digital copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an image memory unit of a control unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an external I / F processing unit of the control unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial screen for performing basic settings of a copy function and a sub-window for performing detailed settings.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a sub-window for making detailed settings of a copy function.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a document and an output sheet.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a tab original and a tab output sheet.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a document to be copied and a copied output sheet.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing tab processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image forming device 2 Face-up output tray 3 Face-down output tray 11a to 11d Photosensitive drum 12a-12d roller charger 13a to 13d scanner 14a to 14d Developing device 21a to 21d cassette 22a to 22d pickup roller 23a-23d BC roller 24a to 24d Extraction roller 25 Registration roller 26 Laura in front of the cash register 27 bypass tray 28 decks 29 BC roller 30 Intermediate transfer belt 32 drive roller 33 Tension roller 34 Driven roller 35a-35d Primary transfer roller 36 Secondary transfer roller 40 fixing unit 41a fixing roller 41b roller 44 Internal discharge roller 45 External discharge roller 50 cleaning device 51 cleaner blade 52 Waste Toner Box 60 pickup roller 61 Paper feed roller 62 Pull-out roller 63a-63d With / without cassette paper sensor 64a-64d Paper feed retry sensor 65 deck paper feed sensor 66 Deck pull-out sensor 67 Registration sensor 68 Internal paper discharge sensor 69 Face-down paper ejection sensor 70 Double-sided pre-registration sensor 71 Double-sided Refeed Sensor 72a to 72c Reversing roller 73 Switching flapper 74 Bypass tray With paper Without sensor 75 Deck paper with / without sensor 81 flapper 82 trays

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Eiichi Motoyama             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation (72) Inventor Huang Matsu             3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo             Non non corporation F term (reference) 2H027 DC02 ED16 ED25 EE03                 2H033 AA20 AA45 AA47 BA07 BB00                       CA16 CA36                 2H072 AA22 AA32 AB03 AB09 AB20                       CA01

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An image forming method in an image forming unit for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, comprising: a sheet determining step of determining the type of the recording sheet; and whether or not the image forming section forms an image for each page. An image forming determination step for determining whether or not the sheet forming determination step is performed, and a control step for changing control related to sheet feeding in the image forming unit based on the determination results of the sheet determination step and the image formation determination step. Image forming method. 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the control step changes a conveyance speed of the recording sheet. 3. A sheet feeding section for feeding a recording sheet for forming an image of a document, and a sheet conveying section for conveying the fed recording sheet to an image forming section, wherein the image forming section An image forming method in an image forming apparatus including a transfer unit that transfers the toner image of the original document to the conveyed recording paper, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording paper. A paper determination step for determining, an image formation determination step for determining whether or not an image is formed in the image forming unit for each page, and the determination result based on the determination results of the paper determination step and the image formation determination step. An image forming method, comprising: a control step of changing conditions of a sheet feeding section, the sheet conveying section, or the fixing section. 4. The control step, the paper feeding unit,
The image forming method according to claim 3, wherein a conveyance speed of the recording paper in the paper conveyance unit or the fixing unit is changed. 5. An image forming method in an image forming unit for forming an image of a document on a recording sheet, the sheet determining step of determining the type of the recording sheet, and the recording sheet is determined to be a normal sheet in the sheet determining step. If it is determined that the recording sheet is the special sheet in the sheet determination step, the normal sequence is executed.
Execute a special sequence different from the normal sequence,
An image forming method comprising: a control step of executing the normal sequence when an image is not formed on the special paper. 6. The special sequence changes the transport speed of the recording paper for feeding in the image forming unit from the normal sequence.
The image forming method described in 1 .. 7. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, a sheet determining unit for determining the type of the recording sheet, and whether the image forming unit forms an image for each page. An image forming determination unit that determines whether or not the image forming unit and a control unit that changes control regarding sheet feeding in the image forming unit based on the determination results of the sheet determination unit and the image formation determination unit. A characteristic image forming apparatus. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit changes a conveyance speed of the recording sheet. 9. A paper feed means for feeding a recording paper on which an image of a document is formed, and a paper transport means for transporting the fed recording paper to the image forming means, wherein the image forming means comprises: In an image forming apparatus including a transfer unit that transfers the toner image of the original document to the conveyed recording sheet, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the recording sheet, a sheet determination for determining the type of the recording sheet Unit, an image formation determining unit that determines whether or not an image is formed by the image forming unit for each page, and the sheet feeding unit based on the determination results of the image forming determination unit and the sheet determination unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that changes a condition of the sheet conveying unit or the fixing unit. 10. The control means is the paper feeding means,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a conveyance speed of the recording sheet in the sheet conveying unit or the fixing unit is changed. 11. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image of an original on a recording sheet, the sheet determining unit determining a type of the recording sheet, and the recording sheet determining unit determining the recording sheet as a normal sheet. If the recording sheet is determined to be a special sheet in the sheet determination step, a special sequence different from the normal sequence is performed, and an image is not formed on the special sheet. In some cases, the image forming apparatus further comprises a control step of executing the normal sequence. 12. The special sequence sets a conveyance speed of the recording sheet for feeding in the image forming unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the normal sequence is changed. 13. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing a control unit of the image forming apparatus to execute each step according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is recorded. 14. A program for causing a control unit of an image forming apparatus to execute each step according to claim 1.